Garment for practical and convenient manipulation

ABSTRACT

A garment suitable for practical and convenient manipulation by a wearer of the garment is presented, wherein the garment includes a front panel, back panel, and a first and second sleeve. A plurality of releasable fasteners are located along a first and second sleeve. A plurality of releasable fasteners begin at a starting point corresponding to a wrist of a person and ascend to an ending point corresponding to an upper portion near a neck of the person. The plurality of releasable fasteners are located at a distance apart from one another to enable a gap to exist between each releasable fastener. As a result, a surface underneath the garment is accessible as a function of the existing gap between each releasable fastener. Portions of the garment are detachable as a result of a positioning of the plurality of releasable fasteners and upon selection by a user.

BACKGROUND

1. Field of the Illustrative Embodiments

The disclosure relates generally to a garment intended for a humanwearer. The garment allows for easier access to the limbs and region ofthe human wearer's upper body based on an improved garment design. Morespecifically, the disclosure relates to a garment whereby the garment isconnected by releasable fasteners that are conveniently locatedthroughout the garment to allow for easy opening and closing of thegarment around a human wearer. This garment is not limited in use, butit is especially useful for those wearers who may be undergoing medicaltreatment requiring medical and/or rehabilitative devices to be locatedor attached to the human wearer's upper body torso. Further advantagesof the invention are disclosed herein.

2. Description of the Related Art

Patients in a hospital environment have long lamented that the garmentsprovided by hospitals do not provide adequate warmth or comfort to thepatient. Hospitals instead require their patients to exchange their owngarments for hospital gowns and apparel. The clothing provided by thehospitals tends to be made of very thin, flexible material that provideonly basic coverage of the human wearer's upper and lower half.Typically, hospital apparel tends to be too light weight. Most patientsend up feeling very cold and inadequately covered. Hospitals and othermedical care centers are well-known for having very low temperatures andbeing very cold. Usually this is because they are focused on maintainingas much as possible a sterile, hygienic environment, and lower overalltemperatures assist in keeping bacteria and other less sterile organismsto a minimum. Furthermore, a paramount concern to all involved in themedical care of a person over that of a patients' comfort is the abilityfor the medical staff to quickly gain access to the patient's limbs andbody in order to provide fast and effective care and attention incritical situations. Since the medical staff must be able to quicklyaccess a patient's limbs and body, a patient is often left uncovered orhardly covered at all with any blankets or significant source of warmth.In such situations, a patient experiences additional discomfort from hisor her illness as well as the fact that the patient is physicallyuncomfortable due to their lack of warm coverings and experiencing coldthroughout their body.

In most medical situations, such as in a hospital or similar situationwhere medical care is being administered to a patient, various medicaldevices, including various tubes and wires are attached to a pluralityof parts of a patient's body. These assorted tubes and wires aresensitive to too much manipulation. Indeed, their functionality can behampered when patients cover themselves with too many sweaters, robes,jackets, and similar such apparel in order to feel warm and comfortablein a hospital environment. Of primary concern to the medical staff isthe proper functioning and care of these medical devices, so as toprovide the necessary health care to the patient. However, there isstill a need to provide a patient with some warmth and comfort that iscommonly felt by wearing some type of sweater or covering.

Various attempts to improve the warmth and comfort of a patient in sucha scenario have been provided in the past. However, these attempts failto provide a complete solution to the above-mentioned problems. Thetypes of garments provided in the past usually have to be wornindependently of the gowns and apparel that are typically provided bythe hospital to the patients. Some existing attempts to solve thisproblem include garments that pre-locate the medical devices underneaththe altered garments. However, these previous embodiments aresignificantly lacking and critical inadequacies and problems still existwith these attempted solutions.

Because of the inadequacies of previous attempts at this issue, mosthospitals and locations providing medical care have entirely failed toadopt these previous embodiments and offer them as alternative garmentsto their patients. Indeed, a major reason why medical careestablishments have failed to adopt some of these previous designs isthat hospitals and other medical care establishments have alreadyexpended a significant amount of investment in the current gowns andgarments provided to patients. A great deal of time, money, and trainingis spent by the medical staff becoming familiar with the apparelcurrently provided that are designed to allow for quick and easy accessto a patients limbs, front, back, and neck. The currently existingalternatives to the commonly used gowns and apparel in hospitals fail totake this fact into consideration since they do not allow for use ofexisting gowns and clothing invested into by the hospital or medicalcare facility. It is highly unlikely that the medical careestablishments will forego the lightweight, quick to open and closegowns and garments that are provided to the patients currently based onthe significant amount of investment already placed in such items. Theproblem thus remains that patients still require more coverage andwarmth that will also be accommodating of currently distributed hospitaland medical apparel to patients.

SUMMARY

According to one illustrative embodiment, a garment that is structurallysuitable for practical and convenient manipulation by a wearer of thegarment is presented. The garment includes a front panel covering awearer's chest region, a back panel covering the wearer's back region,wherein the back panel is attached to the front panel along a first andsecond seam located on a left and right side of the wearer, wherein thefront panel is securely connected to the back panel along the first andsecond seam located on the left and right side of the wearer. A firstsleeve is joined to the front panel and to the back panel. A secondsleeve is joined to the front panel and to the back panel. A middleportion of the garment is included, wherein two portions of the middlesection are fastened by a middle fastener, wherein the middle fastenerextends up to the wearer's neck region. The garment further includes aplurality of releasable fasteners located along the first and secondsleeve, wherein the plurality of releasable fasteners as located on thefirst and second sleeve begin at a starting point corresponding to awrist of a person and ascend to an ending point corresponding to anupper portion near the wearer's neck region, wherein the plurality ofreleasable fasteners are located along the first and second sleeve at adistance apart from one another to enable a gap to exist between eachreleasable fastener, wherein a surface underneath the garment isaccessible as a function of said existing gap between said eachreleasable fastener, wherein portions of the garment are detachable as aresult of a positioning of the plurality of releasable fasteners withoutrequiring complete removal of the garment, wherein detaching theportions of the garment is achieved by selecting a particular set of theplurality of releasable fasteners to provide exposure to a desiredregion associated with the wearer.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

For a more complete understanding of this disclosure, reference is nowmade to the following brief description, taken in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings and detailed description, wherein like referencenumerals represent like parts.

FIG. 1 is a pictorial representation of a garment suitable forconvenient and practical manipulation with a plurality of releasablefasteners located throughout the garment allowing for detaching portionsof the garment without entirely removing the garment from a wearer andconcurrently providing easy access to the wearer of the garment inaccordance with an illustrative embodiment;

FIG. 2 is a pictorial representation of a garment with a plurality ofreleasable fasteners and a plurality of identifiers located next to theplurality of releasable fasteners in accordance with an illustrativeembodiment of the disclosure;

FIG. 3 is a pictorial representation of a garment, whereby portions ofthe garment are detachable by selecting a particular set of thereleasable fasteners, whereby medical devices attached to the body ofthe wearer are not obstructed by the garment in accordance with anillustrative embodiment of the disclosure;

FIG. 4 is a pictorial representation of a garment that is detachable oneither side of the garment in accordance with an illustrative embodimentof the disclosure;

FIG. 5 is a pictorial representation illustrating the detachability ofthe garment exposing a desired region of the wearer while still allowingfor the majority of the wearer's body to be covered by the garment inaccordance with an illustrative embodiment;

FIG. 6 is another illustrative embodiment of how the garment may bedetached along both sleeves and still fastened by the middle fastener ofthe garment in accordance with an illustrative embodiment;

FIG. 7 is a garment for convenient and practical manipulation that is avest-like garment with a plurality of releasable fasteners located alongthe left and right shoulder to the upper portion of the neck region ofthe wearer in accordance with an illustrative embodiment; and

FIG. 8 is a vest-like garment wherein portions of the garment aredetached without removing the entire garment in accordance with anillustrative embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

A garment for accommodating devices, particular medical devices, ispresented herein. There is a critical need for a garment that can beused to provide warmth and coverage to patients. An ongoing problem ishow to provide sufficient warmth and comfort to persons undergoingmedical treatment and medical care while still allowing for easy accessto the patient. Easy access to the patient is needed since variousmedical devices are commonly attached to a patient undergoing medicalcare and treatment and the garments currently provided fail to allow forsuch easy, access or any substantial warmth and comfort to the patient.Most medical apparel tends to come in the form of thin, cotton gownswith various ties and buttons. The medical apparel does not provideadequate warmth to a patient, especially considering the fact that thepatient is in a cold, low temperature room or due to illness, may nothave a properly regulated temperature, and that such facilities keep thetemperature very low to prevent growth of bacteria and preserve greatersanitation.

Additionally, there are various locations on a patient's body that needto be routinely and readily accessible to medical care staff who must beable to administer critical lifesaving support to the patient andtherefore cannot be impeded by too many blankets or articles ofclothing. In many medical and health related scenarios, a variety ofmedical devices have to be attached to a patient in order to providethis critical healthcare and medical support. These medical devices areusually sensitive to too much manipulation and cannot handle the weightof too much clothing or objects located over these medical devices sincesuch items would interfere with the proper functioning of these medicaldevices. Thus, a patient covered with heavy blankets or traditionalexamples of robes and sweaters risks hindering quick access to his orher body by the medical staff and also risks negative interference withany medical devices attached to his or her body that may be dislodged orimpeded due to the heavy blankets or traditional examples of robes andsweaters currently available.

In terms of important regions that should be quickly accessible tomedical staff when dealing with a patient, the important regions tend tobe the wrists, arms, neck, chest, back, and shoulder regions of thepatient. These regions all provide ports and important access points tovarious veins, arteries, and body parts that medical staff must be ableto access to administer medicines, fluids, and critical health carerelated services. For example, the medical caretaker or hospital staffhas to be able to access the veins in the forearms or at the wrist orthe back of the hand in order to insert an intravenous line (also knownas an IV). Intravenous therapy is often used to to correct electrolyteimbalances, to deliver medications, for blood transfusion or as fluidreplacement to correct, for example, dehydration. Compared with otherroutes of administration, the intravenous route is the fastest way todeliver fluids and medications throughout the body. Some medications, aswell as blood transfusions and injections, can only be givenintravenously. However, a common problem is that while the patient wouldlike to be able to wear more layers of clothing on top of hospitaladministered gowns and garments, the potential for these garments toimpair proper use and placement of the IV usually prevents the patientfrom being able to wear multiple layers of regularly available pieces ofclothing over their hospital administered gowns and garments. Therefore,the patient must endure both physical illness and physical discomfortdue to lack of coverage by the familiar articles of clothing andcoverings.

Therefore, there is still a desperate and real need for a garment thatmay be used to deliver both warmth and comfort without obstructingaccess to a human wearer's body, especially when the human wearer of thegarment is receiving urgent or ongoing medical attention and has variousmedical devices attached to their person. There is a need for a garmentthat is capable of practical and convenient manipulation to provide asolution to this problem.

In accordance with an illustrative embodiment, a garment that isstructurally suitable for practical and convenient manipulation by awearer of the garment is presented. The garment includes a front panelcovering a wearer's chest region, a back panel covering the wearer'sback region, wherein the back panel is attached to the front panel alonga first and second seam located on a left and right side of the wearer,wherein the front panel is securely connected to the back panel alongthe first and second seam located on the left and right side of thewearer. A first sleeve is joined to the front panel and to the backpanel. A second sleeve is joined to the front panel and to the backpanel. A middle portion of the garment is included, wherein two portionsof the middle section are fastened by a middle fastener, wherein themiddle fastener extends up to the wearer's neck region. The garmentfurther includes a plurality of releasable fasteners located along thefirst and second sleeve, wherein the plurality of releasable fastenersas located on the first and second sleeve begin at a starting pointcorresponding to a wrist of a person and ascend to an ending pointcorresponding to an upper portion near the wearer's neck region, whereinthe plurality of releasable fasteners are located along the first andsecond sleeve at a distance apart from one another to enable a gap toexist between each releasable fastener, wherein a surface underneath thegarment is accessible as a function of said existing gap between saideach releasable fastener, wherein portions of the garment are detachableas a result of a positioning of the plurality of releasable fastenerswithout requiring complete removal of the garment, wherein detaching theportions of the garment is achieved by selecting a particular set of theplurality of releasable fasteners to provide exposure to a desiredregion associated with the wearer.

FIG. 1 is a pictorial representation of a garment suitable forconvenient and practical manipulation with a plurality of releasablefasteners located throughout the garment allowing for detaching portionsof the garment without entirely removing the garment and still providingeasy access to the wearer of the garment in accordance with anillustrative embodiment. FIG. 1 depicts garment 104 as seen from thefront when looking at a person wearing garment 104. FIG. 1 depicts aperson wearing garment 104 which is an altered garment meant to providecomfort, warmth, as well as easy access to a body of the person wearinggarment 104. Wearer 146 is a person modeling the use of garment 104.Garment 104 may be worn by wearer 146, whether wearer 146 is a child oran adult. Garment 104 may be designed to accommodate a variety of sizes,heights, shapes, and genders represented by wearer 146. Wearer 146 willoften be wearing garment 104 in medically related situations whereinwearer 146 is also receiving health care in a hospital, hospice, or anyother location where one may receive medical care. Accordingly, wearer146 may often also be a patient at a facility. However, the uses forgarment 104 are not solely limited to medically related scenarios. Oneof ordinary skill in the art may envision alternate uses andpossibilities for garment 104. Indeed, garment 104 is intended to beconvenient for use at all times. Garment 104 may serve as both afashionable and fun part of wearer 146's everyday wardrobe, yet garment104 may also be used to accommodate and assist when wearer 146 isreceiving medical treatment and requires an item of clothing that may beworn over hospital administered gowns or simply to cover his or her ownbody.

In FIG. 1, garment 104 is located over underlying clothing 102Underlying clothing 102 may be any type of clothing or apparel. In ahospital setting, underlying clothing 102 will be a piece of clothingthat is typically provided and sanctioned by the administering hospital,whereby this piece of clothing will most commonly be some sort ofhospital gown. Hospital gowns as provided by most hospitals tend to bemade of a thin, cotton material as shown. Such gowns also tend to beshort and stop above the knee as shown in this illustrative example inFIG. 1. Often times, such hospital gowns are short sleeved or have nosleeves at all since the primary concern to nurses and physicians is tobe able to access the neck, arms, chest, back, and wrists of the wearervery quickly and efficiently. To facilitate ease of access to the torsoand body of the wearer, some models of hospital gowns exist whereby theties are located at the top of the gown and are easy to untie and get toa patient's back, chest, shoulders, or upper torso.

Garment 104 is worn over underlying clothing 102 in FIG. 1. However, itis to be noted, that garment 104 may be worn over any type of apparel orcombination of garments in a variety of situations. FIG. 1 is merelyexemplary and not exhaustive of the uses and functions of garment 104.Underlying clothing 102 may be any combination of articles of clothingincluding shirts, pants, jackets, dresses, pajamas, and any other pieceof clothing typically worn by people. In some scenarios, wearer 146 maychoose to wear garment 104 directly over wearer's 146 torso without anunderlying article of clothing, such that a person's upper body isentirely exposed under garment 104 without any obstruction or coveringto a wearer's body. In fact, in some situations, hospitals may requirethat garment 104 be worn directly over a patient's naked body withoutany additional underlying clothing, such as underlying clothing 102.

Garment 104 in this illustrative embodiment includes a front panel, aback panel, wherein the front panel and back panel consist of materialjoined at various attachment points. Garment 104 may be comprised of avariety of material, including but not limited to, fleece, cotton,polyester, silk, linen, or a combination or any blend thereof. In apreferred embodiment, garment 104 is made of fleece and is entirely freeof any metal in any of the material or the attaching pieces used to holdthe material together such as zippers, snaps, buttons, or fasteners. Inan illustrative embodiment, garment 104 is entirely devoid of any metallocated in the fasteners, pieces, or material of garment 104. Fleece isa type of fabric that is usually a soft, bulky deep-piled knitted orwoven fabric. It is used for clothing and blankets chiefly, and providesboth softness to the wearer as well as added warmth, since the materialis usually wool. However, garment 104 is not limited in any way to useto fleece and may be composed of a variety of materials, such as cotton,silk, polyester, or any combination thereof or other materials known toone of ordinary skill in the art. An additional advantage of garment 104is that garment 104 may be worn during medical testing in machines thatdo not permit the presence of any metal on a person such as, whenundergoing testing in an MRI machine, as further discussed below.

Garment 104 includes two long sleeves on both the right and left arm ofwearer 146. Left sleeve 122 and right sleeve 132 are attached to frontpanel 148 and back panel 150 of garment 104. Left sleeve 122 and rightsleeve 132 refer to wearer 146's respective left and right side. Leftsleeve 122 and right sleeve 132 on garment 104 provide greater coverageand warmth to wearer 146 since the material associated with left sleeve122 and right sleeve 132 extends down the full length of the arm andstops at or above wrist 138. Left sleeve 122 and right sleeve 132represent a first and second sleeve joined to front panel 148 and backpanel 150 of garment 104. Front panel 148 is the material associatedwith garment 104 located on the front portion of garment 104. Back panel150 is the material associated with garment 104 located on the backportion of garment 104. Back panel 150 may not be entirely visible inFIG. 1 according to this view, but is nonetheless present on garment 104since garment 104 is a two-sided garment covering wearer 146's torso onthe front and back side.

Front panel 148 and back panel 150 are joined along right side 134 andleft side 136 of wearer 146 along a seam joining front panel 148 andback panel 150. Garment 104 includes the right and left side of wearer146. Front panel 148 and back panel 150 may be joined through variousjoining means one of ordinary skill in the art would be familiar with,such as sewing, gluing, fastening, or any other similar means of joiningmaterial together.

Middle section 154 is located on front panel 148. Middle section 154 isseparated down a middle of front panel 148. Middle section 154 isremoveably joined by middle fastener 128, wherein middle fastener 128extends up to the wearer's neck region and ends thereabout. In FIG. 1,middle fastener 128 is displayed as a zipper extending from the lowerbottom of garment 104 to the top of garment 104, ending at wearer 146'sneck 142. Middle fastener 128 may be any type of fastening device,including but not limited to zippers, buttons, and snaps. In someembodiments, the fasteners may also be made of Velcro or a combinationof Velcro and other types of fasteners, including zippers, buttons, andsnaps.

Left sleeve 122 has a plurality of releasable fasteners located alongleft sleeve 122 and extending up to neck 142 of wearer 146. A pluralityof releasable fasteners 106, 108, 110, 112, 114, 116, 118, and 120 arelocated on left sleeve 122. Left sleeve 122 ends at wrist 138 of wearer146. A plurality of releasable fasteners is comprised of a collection ofopenable fasteners used to open and close material from one side of leftsleeve 122 to the other side of left sleeve 122. A fastener is a joiningdevice appropriate to fasten material together. A releasable fastenermay include but is not limited to a variety of fasteners includingsnaps, buttons, hooks, eye and ball hooks, and many more such fastenersavailable and known to one of ordinary skill in the art. In a preferredembodiment, the releasable fasteners as used in garment 104 do notcontain any metal so as to enable a patient to continue wearing garment104 even when the patient is undergoing tests in a machine that does notallow the patient to have any metal on his or her clothing. For example,releasable fasteners may be made entirely of plastic. However, it is tobe noted that, in some embodiments, there may be metal fasteners ormetal included in the garment as whole.

FIG. 1 is meant to be illustrative but is not exhaustive of the totalnumber of fasteners that may be used along left sleeve 122 or rightsleeve 132. A plurality of releasable fasteners may be located throughvarious portions of garment 104 as needed. Garment 104 is capable ofmanipulation in a multitude of ways by the operator of garment 104 inorder to provide varying degree of coverage to the person wearing thegarment 104.

Releasable fasteners placed along the right and left sleeve in garment104 are spaced at a distance apart from each other. Gap 144 on garment104 is illustrative of the distance between releasable fastener 114 and116. Gap 144 allows access to the surface underneath garment 104. Leftsleeve 122 and right sleeve 132 thus have both releasable fastenerslocated down each sleeve that are placed at a distance apart in order toenable gaps, such as gap 144, to exist on left sleeve 122 and rightsleeve 132. This enables the person who is wearing garment 104 to beable to wear garment 104 even in a hospital setting which requires apatient's torso, including a patient's arms, to be easily accessible todoctors, nurses, staff, and all other medical care takers. It isimportant that wrist 138 is accessible since many important medicaldevices are attached at a person's wrist. Blood pressure is commonlytaken by inflating a cuff around a patient's arm. Garment 104 allowseasy and convenient access to the arms without obstructing any bloodpressure equipment used.

Releasable fasteners 106, 108, 110, 112, 114, 116, 118, and 120 may allbe opened independently of each other to provide more or less roomaround a medical device that is located on a patient's arm. Thefasteners still allow medical caretakers to access underlying clothing102 as well or to wearer 146's body underneath gown 102. By placing thereleasable fasteners at a distance from each other, a gap ispurposefully created between each releasable fastener such that the gapmay be used to accommodate a medical device or for other attachable itemto wearer 146 through this existing gap.

In another embodiment, the gaps in between the releasable fasteners maybe more visible or less visible depending on the type of fastenersutilized on garment 102. In some embodiments, the fasteners may be madeof Velcro or a combination of Velcro and other types of fasteners,including but not limited to, buttons, snaps, and zippers. The manner inwhich the material utilized for garment 104 lays on wearer 146 and thetype of fasteners used, may make the gaps, such as gap 144, more or lessvisible from the front or side.

In another embodiment, the gaps between the releasable fasteners mayinclude another portion of underlying material filling in between thereleasable fasteners. Thus, material may extend in between one fastenerto another fastener in place of the empty space i.e. gap, such as gap144. The underlying material in between the gaps may be the same coloras the overlying layer from garment 104 or may be a different color. Insuch embodiments, garment 104 may be further accommodated to suitmedical devices or other items in order to access the underlying surfaceof wearer 146 so that the material in between the releasable fastenersin such an embodiment may be partially removeable to accommodate anymedical devices that need to be attached directly to wearer 146.

In a preferred embodiment of garment 104, a patient is able to continuewearing garment 104 even when the patient is placed in a MagneticResonance Imaging (MRI) machine, which is a medical imaging techniqueused in radiology to visualize detailed internal structures. An MRImachine uses a powerful magnetic field to align the magnetization ofsome atoms in the body, and radio frequency fields to systematicallyalter the alignment of this magnetization. MRI provides good contrastbetween the different soft tissues of the body, which make it especiallyuseful in imaging the brain, muscles, the heart, and cancers. However,typically, patients complain that they feel very cold and uncomfortablewhen undergoing tests in the MRI machine since the patients are requirednot to wear any clothing or items that contain any metal since thiswould interfere with the proper functioning of the MRI machine.Therefore, most garments that may provide some warmth such as sweatersor vests or coats to the patient, may not be worn by the patient in theMRI machine since a large percentage of them include some metal in thezippers, buttons, or similar type fasteners. Alternatively, garment 104allows the wearer to wear garment 104 over any underlying clothes orgowns and since in a preferred embodiment garment 104 is free of metal,the patient should experience more comfort, warmth, and overallsatisfaction even when undergoing tests in an uncomfortable machine suchas an MRI machine.

While there may be embodiments whereby garment 104 is made entirelywithout metal, there may also be other embodiments where metal may beincluded in garment 104. Such a garment 104 may be worn in a variety ofcircumstances. Current technology for MRI testing typically does notallow for any type of metal to be located on the patient or the clothingworn by the patient while he or she is undergoing MRI testing. However,as technology progresses, MRI machines may allow for testing while thepatient has some metal on his or her person and/or clothing. Thus,garment 104 may include metal in the fasteners or even the material tobe worn for the convenience of wearer 146. As technology develops,garment 104 may also even be worn while wearer 146 is undergoing testingin a MRI machine, even if garment 104 includes metal. Thus, garment 104may be devoid of metal or may include metal depending on the uses ofgarment 104 for wearer 146.

Garment 104 in FIG. 1 is presented as having pockets and a middlesection that is closed with middle fastener 128. FIG. 1 attempts toillustrate that garment 104 may be made to look as ornate andfashionable and comfortable as possible, and may include common designelements normally seen in one's clothing, such as pockets, buttons,collars, and can come in a variety of colors and styles. Garment 104 isintended to provide the patient with a greater feeling of dignity andcomfort by providing patient with a garment that can be worn in anysetting, including a hospital setting, but where the patient stillretains a sense of modesty, comfort, and style. Therefore, garment 104inventively and effectively allows for ease of access to the wearer'sbody, which is often critical to receiving care in a medical situation,as well as provides a comfortable and appealing garment that patientwould want to wear. These illustrative embodiments of garment 104described herein will be embraced by hospitals, clinics, schools,parents, and people of all ages for a variety of situations, andespecially for those receiving critical, medical care as well.

In this illustrative embodiment, right shoulder region 124 and leftshoulder region 126 are located on the shoulders near a person's neckand covered in a plurality of releasable fasteners. The plurality ofreleasable fasteners located along right shoulder region 124 and leftshoulder region 126 may be opened independently of the other. In FIG. 1,right shoulder portion 124 and left shoulder portion 126 of garment 104are portrayed as closed, but in the following figures, one will seeembodiments whereby these portions of garment 104 may be opened anddetached from wearer 146, but without having to remove the entiregarment 104, simply by selecting the plurality of releasable fastenersthat extend from neck 142 to the top of left sleeve 122 and right sleeve132 for releasing. In FIG. 1, garment 104 includes enough material toextend all the way up neck 142 of wearer 146. Garment 104 is portrayedherein as a long-sleeved, turtle neck, whereby turtlenecks are articlesof clothing that includes material encircling or covering a wearer'sneck. Garment 104 may be designed to provide a varying degree of warmthand coverage to wearer 146. In a preferred embodiment, garment 104 is aturtleneck. However, garment 104 may also have less coverage of awearer's neck as seen in FIG. 4.

Garment 104 includes a decorative and functional pocket 130. Pocket 130is displayed in garment 104 as including decorative lines thereon. It isimportant to note that garment 104 may be covered in a variety ofdesigns, colors, shapes, and made in a variety of styles so as to betrendy as well as functional. In another embodiment, the functionalityof pocket 130 may be increased by allowing access to the underlyingsurface of wearer 146. Pocket 130 may be fully or partially removable tofacilitate further attachments and/or medical devices. Pocket 130 may beremovable by attaching pocket 130 to garment 104 by a plurality ofreleasable fasteners that connect pocket 130 to the surface of garment104. As needed, a user of garment 104 may choose to completely removepocket 130 from garment 104 at will in order to allow greater access tothe underlying surface beneath pocket 130. When wearer 146 desires, heor she may then re-attach removable pocket 130 in such an illustrativeembodiment when less access is needed to the underlying surface beneathpocket 130. Other pockets that are located throughout garment 104 mayalso be functionally removable by attaching them with a plurality ofreleasable fasteners that may be adjusted by the wearer as needed. Anyof the pockets on garment 104 may be made partially or fully removeable.If they are partially removeable, the pockets may be securely attachedon one side of the pocket and then made removable by being attached onthe remaining sides with a plurality of releasable fasteners.

In a preferred embodiment, pocket 130 may be only partially removable.In such an embodiment, pocket 130 is hinged at one side and attached togarment 104 by at least one side. Pocket 130 in such an embodiment maybe opened to access the underside of garment 104 or to access thesurface of wearer 146. Such an embodiment with a partially removablepocket 130 is useful because it allows pocket 130 to stay attached togarment 104, which avoids the possibility of losing the pocket or thatthe pocket may become dirty. However, since pocket 130 is partiallyremovable, pocket 130 does not obstruct any medical devices that need tobe attached to wearer 146, thus allowing convenient access to acaregiver to wearer 146. Thus, pocket 130 may be opened on a variety ofsides except for one side which will remain securely attached to garment104. All sides but one of pocket 130 may be detached from garment 104and then re-attached as desired by an operator of garment 104 or wearer146. Thus, pocket 130 may be opened and lay flat yet still attached togarment 104, so that the underside of the garment through pocket 130 maybe accessed as needed. Pocket 130 may be partially removeable and may beattached to garment 104 using typical attachment methods known to one ofordinary skill in the art including sewing, gluing, fastening pocket 130on at least one side to garment 104.

In a preferred embodiment, garment 104 is ideally made of lightweightfleece material so as to provide a comfortable, sporty feel to garment104. Fleece is a type of fabric that is usually a soft, bulky,deep-piled knitted or woven fabric used chiefly for clothing orblankets. Garment 104 is thus appealing to both children and adultssince garment 104 is seen as being a regular piece of clothing withdecorative embellishments and designs such as pocket 130. However,garment 104 is also very useful in its function, especially in scenarioswhere wearer 146 must provide access to his or her underlying surfacebeneath garment 104 in a fast and timely manner, such as in situationswhere medical care is administered to wearer 146.

The manner in which garment 104 may be worn is unique and novel forwearing such a garment. A garment such as garment 104 may be worn bycompletely unfastening the plurality of releasable fasteners and thenplacing garment 104 in such a state with all of the plurality ofreleasable fasteners opened around wearer 146's body. At that point, anoperator or wearer 146 may proceed to fasten the releasable fasteners asdesired to enclose the desired regions of wearer 146 that an operator ora wearer cares to enclose and to cover. Thus, the structure and designof garment 104 enables the garment to be administered in a way that ismore practical and convenient to the needs of wearer 146.

FIG. 2 is a pictorial representation of a garment 104 that focuses onthe left sleeve in accordance with an illustrative embodiment. Garment104, middle fastener 128, and underlying clothing 102 are alreadydescribed above as seen in FIG. 1. Right shoulder portion 124 and leftshoulder portion 126 are additionally as described in FIG. 1.

FIG. 2 includes top attachment 202 and 210. Top attachment 202 and 210are releasable fasteners corresponding a top part of a releasablefastener located on top panel 218 of the left sleeve on garment 104. Topattachment 202 and 210 are illustrative of how releasable fasteners asseen by releasable fasteners 106, 108, 110, 112, 114, 116, 118, and 120may be placed and may function on garment 104. Top attachment 202 andtop attachment 210 are fasteners that may serve to partially close thematerial for a sleeve on garment 104, without preventing complete accessto a patient's underlying arm. In FIG. 2, underlying clothing 102, isvisible underneath garment 104. Both the lower half of underlyingclothing 102 is visible to the human eye in FIG. 2 and portions ofunderlying clothing 102 are visible through the gaps on the right arm aswell as left arm. In FIG. 2, top panel 218 of the left sleeve and bottompanel 220 are not fastened together. By unfastening the plurality ofreleasable fasteners located on the left sleeve, the wearer's arm ismade accessible for any necessary care or to accommodate any associatedmedical devices that can be located along wearer 146's arm. Releasablefasteners 202, 204, 210, and 212 may be plastic snaps in a preferredembodiment.

As illustrated in FIG. 2, top attachment 202 corresponds to bottomattachment 204. Top attachment 210 corresponds to bottom attachment 212.Once top attachment 202 or top attachment 210 is connected or fastenedto bottom attachments 204 and 212, the sleeve will resemble left sleeve122 as seen in FIG. 1, in that there will be small gaps in between eachreleasable fastener, through which can be seen wearer 146's underlyingclothing and arms. Therefore, a gap in between, such as gap 144 as seenin FIG. 1 would be present between the closed releasable fasteners.

Furthermore, in FIG. 2, a plurality of identifiers as represented by206, 208; 214, and 216 have been placed adjacent to the plurality ofreleasable fasteners located on this left sleeve in FIG. 2. Identifiers206, 208, 214, and 216 serve to assist in joining the releasablefasteners to each other. Identifiers 206, 208, 214, and 216 assist auser in joining the releasable fasteners to the corresponding fastener.For example, identifier 206 located next to top attachment 202 is in theshape of a triangle. In parallel, identifier 208 is in the shape of atriangle and is located on the other half of the sleeve. Identifier 206and 208 thus correspond to one another on this sleeve and assist theuser in properly joining releasable fasteners 202 and 204 to each other.Similarly, identifier 214 and identifier 216 are both in the shape of asquare and assist the user to recognize how to attach top attachment 214to bottom attachment 216. These identifiers assist a user and avoid thedifficulty in correctly matching the plurality of releasable fastenersto each corresponding pair since they provide a visual reminder aboutthe proper corresponding pair.

Identifiers 206, 208, 214, and 216 may include a combination of visualelements and come in a variety of shapes and colors. Identifiers 206,208, 214, and 216 may further include numerical symbols such as theRoman numeral numeric system, the Arabic numeric system with ten digitscommonly used and known as 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9, or anyother numeric system. FIG. 2 is illustrative and not exhaustive of allthe types of identifiers that may be used. In FIG. 2, identifierspresented include a variety of well known and recognizable shapes,including but not limited to, triangles, squares, rectangles, hearts,and circles. Further embodiments of identifiers may include animatedcartoon figures, text, graphics, colors, or any combination thereof.

Identifiers 206, 208, 212, and 214 may be located next to any releasablefasteners as needed to assist an operator and/or wearer of garment 104.For example, identifiers, such as identifiers 206, 208, 212, and 214 maybe placed next to shoulder releasable fasteners as well as exemplifiedby shoulder releasable fasteners 124 and 126 in FIG. 1.

Identifiers, such as 206, 208, 214, and 216 may be designed to belocated on either a top portion of material next to a releasablefastener or on the underlying portion of the material next to areleasable fastener. Thus, identifiers, such as identifiers 206, 208,214, and 216, may or may not be directly visible to a viewer looking atgarment 104 unless the fastener is closed or open. FIG. 2 is anillustrative embodiment only and not meant to limit alternativeembodiments. In FIG. 2, identifier 206 is located on the underlyingportion of top panel 218 next to releasable fastener 202. Correspondingidentifier 208 is located next to releasable fastener 204 on a topportion of panel 220.

In some embodiments, identifiers may be visible on both the top andunderlying portion of material and visible from both the top and bottomto a viewer. Identifiers, such as 206, 208, 214, and 216, may be appliedby sewing or stamping or a variety of techniques and combinations so asto apply a useful identifier to garment 104.

In other embodiments, identifiers, such as identifiers 206, 208, 214,and 216, may be located as needed throughout garment 104, next to anyreleasable fastener. Identifiers may be in a variety of styles andshapes. Additionally, garment 104 may have a variety of decorativefeatures and embellishments as seen by pocket 130. Pocket 130, aspreviously described, in FIG. 1 may be a decorative pocket as well asfunctional.

In FIG. 3, a pictorial representation of a garment is presented wherebyportions of the garment are detachable by selecting a particular set ofthe releasable fasteners, whereby medical devices attached to the bodyof the wearer are not obstructed by the garment in accordance with anillustrative embodiment of the disclosure. FIG. 3 is a pictorialrepresentation illustrating garment 104 from FIG. 1 on wearer 146. Asseen in FIG. 3, garment 104 has a plurality of releasable fasteners 306,308, 312, 314, 316, and 318. A particular set of the releasablefasteners has been selected so as to allow convenient manipulation ofgarment 104 as needed by the wearer. This particular set of releasablefasteners, 306, 308, 312, 314, 316, and 318, have been disconnected soas to allow for greater exposure to the neck region, upper torso, andright arm of the wearer of garment 104 in FIG. 3.

In FIG. 3, examples of medical devices attached to the wearer arepresented. These examples are meant to be illustrative only and notexclusive. Medical device 326 is a type of intravenous line that isconnected to the body of wearer 146. As presented herein, medical device326 is connected to the left arm of the wearer. Medical device 326 isconnected to the wearer's left arm, without being obstructed by garment104, since the garment has been manipulated to allow medical device 326to be attached to the arm, but still providing warmth and comfort tomany portions of wearer's upper torso. Garment 104 may be convenientlyand usefully manipulated by selecting a particular set of the pluralityof releasable fasteners located throughout garment 104. Medical device326 would be in a real world scenario connected to wearer 146 by aprofessional knowledgeable in the application of medical device 326. Asa general concept, intravenous lines are usually attached to patientsreceiving medical treatment in order to administer medicines, fluids,and/or nutritional components. Intravenous (IV) lines may be applied byknowledgeable medical staff whose job includes selecting the appropriateIV insertion point on a human body.

Medical device 324 is displayed as connected to wearer 146's chest. Itis meant to be exemplary of a medical device commonly known as a Hickmanline. A Hickman line is also a type of intravenous catheter most oftenused for the administration of chemotherapy or other medications, aswell as for the withdrawal of blood for analysis. Hickman lines mayremain in place for extended periods and are used when long-termintravenous access is needed. The insertion of a Hickman line is usuallydone under sedation or a general anesthetic by a radiologist or surgeon.It involves two incisions, one at the jugular vein or another nearbyvein or groove, and one on the chest wall. At the former entranceincision site, a tunnel is created from there through to the latter exitincision site, and the catheter is pushed through this tunnel until it“exits” the latter incision site. The exit site is where the lumens areseen as coming out of the chest wall. The catheter at the entrance sitearea is then inserted back through the entrance site and advanced intothe superior vena cava, preferably near the junction of it and the rightatrium of the heart. The entrance site is sutured. The catheter at theexit site is secured by means of a “cuff” just under the skin at theexit site, and the lumens are held down otherwise by a sterile gauze ordressing centered on the exit site, which also serves the purpose ofpreventing potential contamination at the exit site. Therefore, thecatheter is secured to a person's chest. In FIG. 3, medical device 324is presented as being attached to wearer 146's bare chest as would bethe case if a Hickman line was inserted according to the aforementionedprocedure. Medical device 324 is meant to illustrate that many medicaldevices require a great deal of effort to insert and maintain on apatient. Thus, the medical care staff's primary focus is to ensure thatthese devices are not unnecessarily interfered with or obstructed. FIG.3 shows medical device 324 being fixed to the bare chest of wearer 146and covered by a sterile gauze.

Typically, a patient who has had a medical device such as medical device324 inserted into their body is not provided adequate clothing to coverhis or her body. As it is a complicated and involved procedure to attachthe medical device to a person, the medical staff do not want anythingto tamper or interfere with the operation of such a medical device.Therefore, patients are usually not encouraged to wear too many articlesof clothing or blankets that may weigh down heavily on top of themedical device, such as medical device 324. However, garment 104provides a tremendous solution to this problem. Garment 104 allowswearer 146 to have a light weight and warmth providing article ofclothing without interfering with medical device 324.

As seen in FIG. 3, the positioning of various detachable releasablefasteners along the right and left sleeves and up to the shoulders ofwearer 146 enables a portion on the front panel of garment 146 to bedetached from the body of wearer 146 without having to entirely removegarment 104.

Middle fastener 304 is an example of middle fastener 128 as seen inFIG. 1. Middle fastener 304 is portrayed herein as a zipper holding bothsides of middle section together with the zipper fully fastened andreaching all the way up to the neck of wearer 146. The plurality ofreleasable fasteners located along the right shoulder regions of wearer146 and also a select set of releasable fasteners located along wearer146's left arm are unfastened to allow garment 104 to remain partiallyopen around medical device 324. Note that releasable fastener 318 nextto the wrist on the left arm of this wearer is portrayed however asfastened, further indicating how garment 104 may be manipulated by anoperator and/or wearer to provide as much coverage on wearer 146 asdesired. FIG. 3 is meant to be illustrative of how a wearer, such aswearer 146 of garment 104 may utilize the features of garment 104 toaccommodate medical devices attached to a wearer's person withoutobstructing any of these medical devices. As previously described, thevariety of fasteners located throughout garment 104 provide useful,practical function to wearer 146 to accommodate a variety of medicaldevices existing under certain conditions that may be attached to wearer146.

FIG. 4 is a pictorial representation of a garment that is detachable oneither side of the garment in accordance with an illustrative embodimentof the disclosure. In FIG. 4, wearer 146 is portrayed wearing garment104 over underlying clothing 102, as previously described in FIG. 1. InFIG. 4, an alternate presentation of middle fastener 428 is presented ascompared to middle fastener 128 in FIG. 1. In FIG. 4, middle fastener ispresented as a series of buttons aligned down the center of the frontpanel of garment 104. An additional variation in FIG. 4 is that garment104 is not extending all the way up to wearer 146's neck region butrather stops in a V-neck just under wearer 146's neck. FIG. 4illustrates further various uses and designs for garment 104.

FIG. 4 includes a plurality of opening and releasable fasteners thatbegin from the wrist of the wearer of garment 104 and ascend all the wayto the neck of the wearer of garment 104. Underlying clothing 102, asalready described in FIG. 1, is also visually perceptible underneathgarment 104. In FIG. 4, the upper left shoulder and chest 406corresponding to wearer 146 is accessible without entirely removinggarment 104; whereby top left upper panel 402 is disconnected frombottom left upper panel 404. Additionally, the plurality of releasablefasteners located on the shoulders of garment 104 are the same as theplurality of releasable fasteners located on the left and right sleeveof garment 104.

It is to be noted that identifiers, such as identifiers 206, 208, 214,and 216 as previously described in FIG. 2, may be included along any ofthe illustrative garments 104 included in FIGS. 3 and 4 at the variousplurality of releasable fasteners displayed in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4 toprovide further assistance to a user in matching the corresponding pairsof releasable fasteners.

In FIG. 5, a pictorial representation is presented illustrating thedetachability of the garment exposing a desired region of the wearerwhile still allowing for the majority of the wearer's torso to becovered by the garment in accordance with an illustrative embodiment.Wearer 146 is wearing garment 104 whereby back panel 510 is stillpositioned and providing coverage to the back and neck of wearer 146while portion 508 of front panel 502 is seen as detached from wearer146's body. A particular set of releasable fasteners corresponding tothis region has been selected so as to enable portion 508 to bedisconnected from back panel 510. However, garment 104 did not have tobe entirely removed in order to facilitate portion 508 from beingremoved. Middle fastener 504 is fully fastened as are the plurality ofreleasable fasteners displayed a long wearer 146's right and leftsleeves. Releasable fasteners on left sleeve 506 are fully fastened toprovide greater coverage to wearer 146's arm. FIG. 5 further illustratesthe usefulness of garment 510. Garment 104 is unlike existing articlesof clothing currently available in that the pieces of material areconnected around central portions of the upper body that may be releasedas needed to provide greater access to a wearer.

FIG. 6 is another illustrative embodiment of how garment 104 may be wornby wearer 146. In FIG. 6, left sleeve 606 and right sleeve 608 are partof underlying clothing 102. Underlying clothing 102 may be illustrativeof a hospital gown or other such article of clothing commonly providedby hospitals and medical care facilities. Garment 104 is worn overunderlying clothing 102.

FIG. 6 illustrates another view of how garment 104 may be worn that isdifferent from the previous views provided in FIGS. 1-5. The view ofgarment 104 in FIG. 6 is enabled by selecting a particular set ofreleasable fasteners that allow garment 104 to be worn in such a manneras desired by an operator of garment 104 and/or wearer 146.

Front panel 602 of garment 104 is presented in FIG. 6. In FIG. 6, Leftsleeve 606 and right sleeve 608 of underlying clothing 102 are notcovered by the right and left sleeve of garment 104. By detaching all ofthe releasable fasteners normally located along the right and leftsleeve of garment 104, left sleeve 606 and right sleeve 608 ofunderlying clothing 102 are not covered by the sleeves normally providedby garment 104. As a result, in FIG. 6, both sleeves of garment 104 arepresented as hanging loosely around wearer 146. Thus, an operator or thewearer of garment 104 may determine the quantity of material of garment104 he or she chooses and which portions of garment 104 to cover thewearer's body at any given time. Middle fastener 604 is displayed asbeing completely fastened all the way up to a neck region of wearer 146.In FIG. 6, Garment 104 herein allows wearer 146 the option to providegreater exposure to wearer 146's arms.

FIG. 7 presents a garment for convenient and practical manipulation thatis a vest-like garment with a plurality of releasable fasteners locatedalong the left and right shoulder to the upper portion of the neckregion of the wearer in accordance with an illustrative embodiment.Vests are articles of clothing whereby sleeves are usually not included.A vest typically provides coverage to the front and back of a wearer'storso. Vests may also include a turtle neck option whereby a wearer'sneck is also covered by material joined together on the vest.

In FIG. 7, wearer 146 is portrayed as wearing underlying clothing 102beneath garment 704. Underlying clothing 102 is portrayed as includingright sleeve 706 and left sleeve 716. Underlying clothing 102 ispresented as an article of clothing with a right and left sleeve that isvisible beneath garment 704. Underlying clothing 102 may be a hospitalgown as typically provided in hospital settings.

Middle fastener 708 is portrayed as a zipper that is completely fastenedfrom the bottom of garment 104 up to a neck region of wearer 146.However, middle fastener 708 may include a variety of fasteners known toone of ordinary skill in the art. Releasable fasteners 710, 712, 714 areillustrative of releasable fasteners that may be used on garment 704.Releasable fasteners located on a left shoulder and on a right shoulderof garment 704 provide means to manipulate garment 704. The releasablefasteners allow for portions of material on garment 704 to be detachedfrom wearer 146's body as desired. Garment 704, the vest-like embodimentof garment 104, may also include a functional pocket, such as pocket 130from FIG. 1. Such a pocket in FIG. 7 and FIG. 8 may or may not becompletely removable to allow access to the underneath portion of thepocket.

In this illustrative embodiment of garment 704, a vest-like garmentprovides some coverage and some warmth to wearer 146, but is even morelight weight that a full sleeve embodiment of garment 104 as previouslypresented in FIGS. 1-6, as seen by garment 104 in FIGS. 1-6.

FIG. 8 further presents a vest-like garment wherein portions of theinventive garment are detached without removing the entire garment inaccordance with an illustrative embodiment. FIG. 8 further demonstratesthe functions and uses of a vest-like garment such as garment 704.Garment 704 in FIG. 8 resembles garment 704 from FIG. 7.

In FIG. 8, garment 704 is shown with a plurality of releasable fastenersincluding 810 and 812, located along the shoulder regions of garment704. Middle fastener 806 is portrayed as completely fastened. Bydetaching the plurality of fasteners located along the shoulder regionsof garment 704, portions of the front panel of garment 704 are detachedand hang loosely away from wearer 146's body. FIG. 8 is a furtherexample of the illustrative benefits and advantages of garment 704,which is a vest-like garment meant for the convenient and practicalmanipulation to the satisfaction of the wearer such as wearer 146.

The illustrative embodiments presented herein include a garment forpractical and convenient manipulation. Furthermore, a method forutilizing this garment is presented herein as well, whereby for themethod for making a garment structurally suitable for practical andconvenient manipulation by a wearer of the garment includes providing afront panel covering a wearer's chest region. The method furthercomprises providing a back panel covering the wearer's back region,wherein the back panel is attached to the front panel along a seamlocated on a left and right side of the wearer, wherein the front panelis securely connected to the back panel along the seam located on theleft and right side of the wearer. Furthermore, a first sleeve joined tothe front panel and the back panel, a second sleeve joined to the frontpanel and the back panel, and a middle section on the front panel isprovided, wherein the middle section is separated down a middle of thefront panel, and wherein the middle section is removeably joined by amiddle fastener, wherein the middle fastener extends up to the wearer'sneck region.

Additionally, a plurality of releasable fasteners located along thefirst and second sleeve, wherein the plurality of releasable fastenersas located on the first and second sleeve begin at a starting pointcorresponding to a wrist of a person and ascend to an ending pointcorresponding to an upper portion near a neck of the person, wherein theplurality of releasable fasteners are located at a distance apart fromone another to enable a gap to exist between each releasable fastener,wherein a surface underneath the garment is accessible as a function ofsaid existing gap between said each releasable fastener, whereinportions of the garment are detachable as a result of a positioning ofthe plurality of releasable fasteners without requiring complete removalof the garment, wherein detaching the portions of the garment isachieved by selecting a particular set of the plurality of releasablefasteners to provide exposure to a desired region associated with thewearer.

What is claimed is:
 1. A garment structurally suitable for practical andconvenient manipulation by a wearer of the garment, wherein the garmentcomprises: a front panel covering the wearer's chest region; a backpanel covering the wearer's back region, wherein the back panel isattached to the front panel along a first and second seam located on aleft and right side of the wearer, wherein the front panel is securelyconnected to the back panel along the first and second seam located onthe left and right side of the wearer; a first sleeve joined to thefront panel and the back panel; a second sleeve joined to the frontpanel and the back panel; a middle section on the front panel, whereinthe middle section is separated down a middle of the front panel,wherein the middle section is removeably joined by a middle fastener,wherein the middle fastener extends up to the wearer's neck region; anda plurality of releasable fasteners located along the first and secondsleeve, wherein the plurality of releasable fasteners as located on thefirst and second sleeve begin at a starting point corresponding to awrist of a person and ascend to an ending point corresponding to anupper portion near a neck of the person, wherein the plurality ofreleasable fasteners are located at a distance apart from one another toenable a gap to exist between each releasable fastener, wherein asurface underneath the garment is accessible as a function of saidexisting gap between said each releasable fastener, wherein portions ofthe garment are detachable as a result of a positioning of the pluralityof releasable fasteners without requiring complete removal of thegarment, wherein detaching the portions of the garment is achieved byselecting a particular set of the plurality of releasable fasteners toprovide exposure to a desired region associated with the wearer.
 2. Thegarment of claim 1, wherein the wearer is provided an option to exposecertain regions underneath the garment by making a selection of theplurality of releasable fasteners while keeping the middle fastener invarious stages of closure to provide more coverage to a middle region ofthe wearer.
 3. The garment of claim 1, wherein the desired regionincludes a left and right shoulder region of the wearer; a right armregion of the wearer, a left arm region of the wearer, a chest region ofthe wearer, a back region of the wearer, and a neck region of thewearer.
 4. The garment of claim 1, wherein the detachable portions ofthe garment are selected as needed by an operator of the garment toprovide exposure to the desired region on the wearer.
 5. The garment ofclaim 1, wherein the operator of the garment is separate from the wearerof the garment.
 6. The garment of claim 1, wherein the garment isadjusted by opening the particular set of the plurality of releasablefasteners to accommodate a device attached to the wearer.
 7. The garmentof claim 6, wherein the device attached to the wearer is a medicaldevice for administering health care to the wearer.
 8. The garment ofclaim 1, wherein a plurality of identifiers is located next to theplurality of releasable fasteners located on the garment, wherein theplurality of identifiers provide a unique identifying characteristic forassisting the operator of the garment to correctly match the pluralityof releasable fasteners by identifying a pair of correspondingidentifiers with the corresponding releasable fasteners.
 9. The garmentof claim 8, wherein the plurality of identifiers comprise a series ofshapes, colors, numbers, or a combination thereof.
 10. The garment ofclaim 1, wherein the garment is both lightweight and additionallyprovides warmth to the person wearing the garment.
 11. The garment ofclaim 1, wherein the garment is composed of material and pieces wherebythe garment includes metal in either the material, the plurality offasteners, or a combination thereof.
 12. The garment of claim 1, whereinthe garment is worn over apparel provided to a medical patient and doesnot obstruct medical devices attached to the wearer.
 13. The garment ofclaim 1, wherein the person is able to wear the garment in a MagneticResonance Imaging (MRI) machine, wherein the garment is devoid of anymetallic pieces.
 14. The garment of claim 1, wherein a functional pocketis included on the middle section of the front panel, wherein thefunctional pocket is partially removable to access an underlying surfacebeneath the garment, whereby partially removeable comprises beingsecurely attached by at least one side of the functional pocket to thegarment, but whereby the functional pocket may be detached from all ofthe remaining sides to access the underlying surface of the garment. 15.A garment structurally suitable for easy and practical manipulation by awearer of the garment, wherein the garment is a vest-like garment,wherein the garment comprises: a front panel covering a wearer's chestregion; a back panel covering the wearer's back region, wherein the backpanel is attached to the front panel along a first and second seamlocated on a left and right side of the wearer, wherein the front panelis securely connected to the back panel along the first and second seamlocated on the left and right side of the wearer; a left portioncovering the wearer's left shoulder region; a right portion covering thewearer's right shoulder region; a middle section on the front panel,wherein the middle section is separated down a middle of the frontpanel, and wherein the middle section is removeably joined by a middlefastener, wherein the middle fastener extends up to the wearer's neckregion; and a plurality of releasable fasteners located along the leftportion and the right portion of the wearer's shoulder regions, whereinthe plurality of releasable fasteners as located on the along the leftportion and the right portion of the wearer's shoulder regions begin ata starting point corresponding to a beginning of a left shoulder and ofa right shoulder of a person and ascend to an ending point correspondingto an upper portion near the wearer's neck region, wherein the pluralityof releasable fasteners are located at a distance apart from one anotherto enable a gap to exist between each releasable fastener, wherein asurface underneath the garment is accessible as a function of saidexisting gap between said each releasable fastener, wherein portions ofthe garment are detachable as a result of a positioning of the pluralityof releasable fasteners without requiring complete removal of thegarment, wherein detaching the portions of the garment is achieved byselecting a particular set of the plurality of releasable fasteners toprovide exposure to a desired region associated with the wearer.
 16. Thegarment of claim 15, wherein the vest-like garment comprises a garmentwith no sleeves covering a right arm or a left arm of the wearer.
 17. Amethod for making a garment structurally suitable for practical andconvenient manipulation by a wearer of the garment, wherein the methodcomprises: providing a front panel covering a wearer's chest region;providing a back panel covering the wearer's back region, wherein theback panel is attached to the front panel along a first and second seamlocated on a left and right side of the wearer, wherein the front panelis securely connected to the back panel along the first and second seamlocated on the left and right side of the wearer; providing a firstsleeve joined to the front panel and the back panel; providing a secondsleeve joined to the front panel and the back panel; providing a middlesection on the front panel, wherein the middle section is separated downa middle of the front panel, and wherein the middle section isremoveably joined by a middle fastener, wherein the middle fastenerextends up to the wearer's neck region; and providing a plurality ofreleasable fasteners located along the first and second sleeve, whereinthe plurality of releasable fasteners as located on the first and secondsleeve begin at a starting point corresponding to a wrist of a personand ascend to an ending point corresponding to an upper portion near aneck of the person, wherein the plurality of releasable fasteners arelocated at a distance apart from one another to enable a gap to existbetween each releasable fastener, wherein a surface underneath thegarment is accessible as a function of said existing gap between saideach releasable fastener, wherein portions of the garment are detachableas a result of a positioning of the plurality of releasable fastenerswithout requiring complete removal of the garment, wherein detaching theportions of the garment is achieved by selecting a particular set of theplurality of releasable fasteners to provide exposure to a desiredregion associated with the wearer.
 18. The method of claim 17, whereinthe wearer is provided an option to expose certain regions underneaththe garment by making a selection of the plurality of releasablefasteners while keeping the middle fastener in various stages of closureto provide more coverage to a middle region of the wearer.
 19. Themethod of claim 17, wherein the desired region includes a left and rightshoulder region of the wearer, a right arm region of the wearer, a leftarm region of the wearer, a chest region of the wearer, a back region ofthe wearer, and a neck region of the wearer.
 20. The method of claim 17,wherein the detachable portions of the garment are selected as needed byan operator of the garment to provide exposure to the desired region onthe wearer.
 21. The method of claim 17, wherein the operator of thegarment is separate from the wearer of the garment.
 22. The method ofclaim 17, wherein the garment is adjusted by opening the particular setof the plurality of releasable fasteners to accommodate a deviceattached to the wearer.
 23. The method of claim 22, wherein the deviceattached to the wearer is a medical device for administering health careto the wearer.
 24. The method of claim 17, wherein a plurality ofidentifiers is located next to the plurality of releasable fastenerslocated on the garment, wherein the plurality of identifiers provide aunique identifying characteristic for assisting the operator of thegarment to correctly match the plurality of releasable fasteners byidentifying a pair of corresponding identifiers with the correspondingreleasable fasteners.
 25. The method of claim 24, wherein the pluralityof identifiers comprise a series of shapes, colors, numbers, or acombination thereof.
 26. The method of claim 17, wherein the garment isworn over apparel provided to a medical patient and does not obstructmedical devices attached to the wearer.
 27. The method of claim 17,wherein the person is able to wear the garment in a Magnetic ResonanceImaging (MRI) machine, wherein the garment is devoid of any metallicpieces.
 28. The method of claim 17, wherein a functional pocket isincluded on the middle section of the front panel, wherein thefunctional pocket is partially removable to access an underlying surfacebeneath the garment, whereby partially removeable comprises beingsecurely attached by at least one side of the functional pocket to thegarment, but whereby the functional pocket may be detached from all ofthe remaining sides to access the underlying surface of the garment.